Temari's Tournament
by LadyTemari
Summary: After the 4th Shinobi War Suna holds a tournament for Temari's hand in marriage. The Suna and Kumo councils want Darui to win, but who does Temari want? Can anyone beat the Sand Siblings in the first place? T for language and implied acts Shikamaru-Temari-Darui
1. Chapter 1

_**Usual**__**Disclaimer**__**: I do not own Naruto, this story is for amusement purposes only. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Temari's Tournament**_

_**Background-Post Fourth Shinobi War**_

The three sand siblings sat in ornate thrones as if they were royalty holding court. Temari was on the right wearing a teal gown that matched her mesmerizing eyes with her hair down. Gaara was in the middle dressed in his Kazekage's robes while Kankuro was seated to the left wearing his councilman robes. Temari looked slowly around the elaborately decorated ballroom. The Raikage, Darui, C, and Killer Bee were all talking in one corner. Naruto, who was here in his official position as 'Hokage in training', was busy chatting up the Mizukage and Chojuro. The room was filled with notable shinobi much to Temari's dismay. This situation had grown to unexpected proportions now. People from near and far had arrived for this, Suna's grandest event in several decades. Temari's tournament, where the kunoichi herself was the prize the men were fighting for. The wind mistress was starting to worry she wouldn't be able to get out of her predicament unscathed. The kunoichi bit her lower lip out of frustration.

Things had started when the sand siblings had returned from the fourth shinobi world war. All three had stood out with their exceptional deeds, so their names were fresh in many people's minds. The Sunan council felt this was the perfect time to marry Temari off to ensure peace and economic stability for their village. The council members were very forceful that they wanted her to marry someone from Kumogakure since it was the most financially stable village. Kunkuro had argued that Temari was too valuable as a kunoichi to no avail; the council didn't care about losing Suna's primary tactician. Gaara had stepped in at that point and proposed a tournament for Temari's hand with a very handsome entry fee. The victor of the tournament then had to defeat the kunoichi since Temari would never marry someone she didn't respect. The Kazekage also reasoned this step was necessary since Temari killing her husband shortly after their marriage would worsen the relationship with the man's village. The final stroke of genius was when Gaara stated that the victor's ultimate challenge would be to confront himself and Kankuro together, which was their right as her brothers he explained. Temari initially thought she was in the clear, no one interested in her would be able to defeat all three of the sand siblings. Who would be crazy enough to even enter this tournament? The kunoichi had been shocked at the number of applications and entry fees that began flooding in.

Everything had grown to the point that the council thought it would be wonderful to throw a grand ball prior to the tournament, to showcase their prize. Gaara had called on Temari's friend, Hinata Hyuga, to come and instruct the kunoichi on the finer points of royalty level occasions. Temari had always managed to get out of formal events until now, so she felt very out of place. Gaara also requested Konoha's genius to assist Temari with analyzing battle styles and techniques so she could prepare her strategy to defeat whoever ended up being the victor. The last two months had been a blur of etiquette and dance lessons with Hinata, which Temari picked up quickly. Temari spent what little spare time she had going over the files of the suitors with Shikamaru. He had explained each person's strengths, weaknesses, and the best way for her to attack each one.

"Temari," Hinata's soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Please stop biting your lip. You need to smile at your guests and not appear annoyed by them."

"Oh, sorry," the blonde responded looking back apologetically, "I'm just overwhelmed right now."

"You'll be fine," reassured Shikamaru from the shadows. "Hinata and I can hear everything that you can thanks to the microphone hidden on your dress. We can talk you through any situation you end up in. I have intelligence on every person here," the former fourth division commander told her confidently.

"That's not my real issue," snapped the blonde at the shadows behind her. "My problem is that I am being forced to marry. I never dreamed I would have this many suitors with all the ridiculous requirements that Gaara and I made." The kunoichi added in barely a whisper, "I am going to have to fight for my own freedom."

"You underestimated the appeal you have," Shikamaru stated in a bored tone as he shoved his hands into his pockets from where he hid. "You are one of the best kunoichi in the world, the former Kazekage's daughter, the current Kazekage's sister, and a war hero." The young genius looked away as he added, "You also look particularly beautiful tonight. Any man would be proud to have you as his wife."

"So can I add you to my list of suitors then?" Temari teased as she genuinely smiled at where the shadow user hid.

"Tch, troublesome woman," the Nara muttered under his breath.

Temari stood from her throne and began to walk gracefully towards the dance floor. "That's a shame. I would have enjoyed the rematch," she said softly towards the microphone to make sure Shikamaru heard it. Gaara and Kankuro stood as the room fell silent watching the young woman in awe. Citizens, shinobi, and Kages all watched the Sunan princess glide to the center of the room and raise her hand for Baki to proceed.

"The first dance of the evening with Temari shall go to Darui of Kumogakure," Baki announced with a booming voice.

"Wow, the council isn't being subtle at all on who they want me to marry," Temari muttered without moving her mouth.

A and Killer B were apparently very pleased with their fellow Kumo nin being selected. They bumped fists with Darui as they wished him luck. The tall young man made his way to the center of the floor where Temari stood waiting. The dark skinned shinobi took the wind mistress' left hand into his right as he knelt down on one knee before her.

"Sabaku no Temari, may I have the pleasure of this dance?" he asked looking up into her blue-green eyes.

The kunoichi couldn't help but chuckle as she nodded her head, "Well, they did say you receive the first dance."

"That doesn't mean that you want to dance with me though," the young man answered as he stood back up to his full height. "I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you don't want to," the dark skinned shinobi said with a voice that was smooth and comforting. He still held her hand softly in his, not to strong and not to weak.

Temari cocked her head and smirked at him since this was not something she was expecting. "Hmmn, a gentleman amongst scoundrels," the kunoichi murmured as she looked him over from head to toe. "How interesting. I think I would enjoy dancing with you, Darui," Temari said softly as she stepped closer to the young man.

Darui brought her hand to his lips and kissed softly, "I'm not very good at this type of thing, so hopefully I won't disappoint you."

"I think we'll manage," the wind mistress laughed as she winked. "What can you dance?"

"It's pretty dull, but all I can do is waltz," the tall young man answered.

"A waltz, by Dvorak!" Temari called to the musicians as she turned and genuinely smiled to the Kumo nin. The pair began dancing as if they weren't uncomfortable with all eyes in the room staring at them. The blonde kunoichi was pleasantly surprised with how easy Darui was to talk to.

Hinata looked over to Shikamaru when he emerged silently from the shadows enough to watch the couple. The byakugan user noticed the Nara's jaw was clenched and his eyes held a controlled fury. 'Have you told her?' she mouthed to him silently when he finally looked over. The shadow user shook his head no in response which caused Hinata to give him a look that read, 'Then what do you expect?' The pair watched and listened in silence as Darui and Temari parted ways after their dance. The shinobi from Kumogakure had been a perfect combination of serious, witty, and intelligent conversation. The pony tailed Nara was inwardly pleased that as Temari danced with each following suitor things began to deteriorate at a rapid pace. Temari laughed at some, was annoyed by others, and abruptly left halfway through the song on men she simply refused to endure. Shikamaru and Hinata tried to walk her through some of the rough spots, but Temari simply was not willing to put up with anyone simply for the sake of her council and politics. The genius' mood improved significantly when Temari finally lost her temper and punched a young man from Amegakure after he grabbed her 'assets' while dancing.

"How dare you!" the kunoichi fumed as she pushed him away. "I could break you in half with one finger!"

Hinata and Shikamaru had realized what was happening prior to the blow landing and swooped in quickly. The pony tailed Nara was supposed to stop her with his shadow possession jutsu, but decided to let Temari hit the shinobi anyway. The guy really did deserve her wrath. It's funny watching a room full of shinobi part to avoid a flying body without stopping their conversations. The Nara grabbed Temari around the waist then quickly whisked her out of the room while the young man from Amegakure flew across the room and crashed into a wall. Hinata rushed over and apologized profusely to the young man that had been assaulted as she pulled him out from under the rubble. Gaara's eyes twinkled with laughter watching everything transpire as Kankuro tried to stifle a grin behind his hand. Naruto, Killer Bee, and the Raikage burst out laughing while everyone else stood in shocked silence. The other members of the Sunan council looked on in horror as Baki walked to a balcony over the ballroom.

"Hors d'oeuvres will now be served with dinner to follow. If you will all make your way into the Grand Dining Hall please," the shinobi requested in a commanding tone.

"Sounds good to me," roared the Raikage. "That weakling is disqualified from the process now, right?" he asked Baki for everyone to hear.

"Temari has the right to terminate anyone from the process at any time," answered Baki. "I think it is safe to say he has been eliminated."

"Excellent," the Raikage smiled as he turned to Killer Bee. "This contest looks like it is going to be more entertaining than I thought!"

* * *

Temari was soaking her aching muscles in a bathtub the next day, wishing she understood how dancing in a corseted dress was more painful than any type of physical training she had done before. She thought about the evening before and smiled as she thought about her dances with Darui. The wind mistress had found that when she came back after her outburst, her field of suitors was already beginning to decrease. The kunoichi had danced with every suitor once, but the only one that she danced with again was Darui. The blonde found that she actually enjoyed talking to him, which was good since he was the most likely to win the tournament anyway. '_Darui actually has the potential to beat my brothers and I_', the kunoichi thought as she dunked her head under the water. Temari actually danced with the handsome Kumo nin five times until Shikamaru came out to dance with her. She still was confused about what had happened next.

Temari had teased Shikamaru as usual, asking if he was jealous. The Nara had surprised her when he informed her that yes, he actually was. The wind mistress had been at a loss for words, so they danced in silence until near the end of the song. Shikamaru had pulled her close to him to hug her tightly as he whispered in her ear that he was sorry, but he couldn't be her advisor for the tournament anymore. He had turned around and walked away, leaving her standing there with her mouth agape. Temari was angry and confused initially, feeling as if he had abandoned her when she needed him most.

A knock on the bathroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Onnesan," she heard through the door.

"Yes, Gaara? I'm in the bathtub soaking, is there any way this can wait?" Temari whined.

"Just see me as soon as you're done," he answered through the door.

'_That's not good_,' thought Temari to herself as she quickly washed her hair and finished up her bath.

* * *

Darui and C were walking around Suna aimlessly while the Raikage and Killer Bee were recovering from the festivities the night before. They had found Sunan sake to be stronger than they thought. Naruto had challenged all of them to a drinking game, but ended up disappearing halfway through. Darui was never in on the game, C stopped after Naruto disappeared, but the Raikage and Bee continued until they passed out.

Darui would have preferred to be alone with his thoughts this morning, but C had insisted on tagging along with him. Darui reflected on how he had originally been pressured into coming to Suna by Kumo's own council, but now he was actually rather pleased that he had decided to come. The dark skinned young man had not had the chance to talk to Temari much before last night, but now had to admit that he was intrigued. The wind mistress from Suna was strong, intelligent, and beautiful. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind, which was refreshing in a way. The blonde kunoichi also didn't take unwanted advances lightly either, which was made painfully clear last night.

The young man who could wield lightning and water knew deep down that his real competition in this tournament was going to be Temari and her brothers. He was confident, but cautious. The former commander of first division would approach every battle as if it was the final but was already devising what attacks would be best against each of the sand siblings. C was rambling on about how he thought he still had a good chance in the tournament, when they both heard someone call Darui's name. The two turned to see Shikamaru Nara walking up to them with his hands in his pockets.

"Darui, can I talk to you alone please?" the shadow user asked with a bored expression on his face.

Darui shrugged with a similar lazy expression on his own face, "Sure." Darui turned to C, "I'm sorry. I'll catch up with you later. OK?"

"Yeah, later," the blonde answered as he walked away wondering where he could find some good mochi.

Shikamaru waited until C was beyond hearing distance before he began. "Darui, I just wanted to let you know that I am entering the tournament. I figured it would be proper to let you know as a courtesy from one former division commander to another."

"Thanks for the heads up," Darui shrugged as if it was no big deal. "But that's not all, is it?"

"I am well aware that the odds favor you for winning in this tournament," the genius began. "You are a good shinobi, but I have no idea to your personal character," Shikamaru paused as he looked into Darui's eyes. "You told her last night that you had no intention of forcing her to do anything that she doesn't want to. Did you mean that?"

The tall young man shook his head yes. "I'm pretty dull and predictable. If I say something, I mean it," Darui shrugged.

Shikamaru looked for any signs of deception but didn't find any. He sighed as he began to rub the back of his neck. "It's troublesome, but I have arranged for you and I to spend some extra time with Temari. We will both get two hours each day for the next week before the tournament. It will be supervised by Kankuro or Gaara, of course. She will end up with one of us, so may the best man win," the shadow user stated as he extended his hand.

Darui looked at the genius thoughtfully, "We've both looked over the field of applicants and know I really didn't have any competition until now." He grasped Shikamaru's hand and shook firmly, "May the best man win."

* * *

"Hinata!" yelled Temari as she banged on the door of her friend's room. "Hinata I need to talk to you now!"

The dark haired woman opened the door slightly peeking out sleepily. "Temari, can you give me just a few minutes?"

"OK but I really need you to hurry," the wind mistress huffed as she crossed her arms.

Hinata emerged from her room dressed and looking perfect in three minutes flat. "Where do you want to go for breakfast?" the Hyuga chirped cheerfully.

Temari was secretly envious of how efficient the kunoichi was at making herself presentable. "Wait a minute," the blonde said as she looked at Hinata sideways. "You normally invite me into your room while you get ready. Do you have someone in there?" the kunoichi asked as her eyes grew wide and a huge grin spread across her face.

Hinata began to press her fingers together absentmindedly. "Ahhh..uhmmm..what makes you think that?" the pale beauty sputtered as she blushed fiercely.

"Naruto!" yelled Temari to the door of Hinata's room. "Did you have a good evening with Hinata-chan?"

"Believe it!" he automatically responded enthusiastically from behind the door.

Hinata grabbed Temari by the hand and proceeded to drag her to breakfast as Temari laughed hysterically. "What did you need to talk to me about?" Hinata asked hoping to distract the wind mistress.

"Oh! You remember how upset I was last night that Shikamaru suddenly said he wouldn't help me anymore and left?" the blonde began as they entered her favorite bakery. Hinata shook her head yes as she bought enough cinnamon buns for the two of them. "He didn't leave Suna!" Temari smiled. "Instead he went to Gaara and entered the tournament!"

Hinata smiled knowingly at her friend. '_It was about time_,' she thought to herself.

"The weird thing is he arranged daily 'dates' for both he and Darui over the next week. Why would he do that? What am I supposed to do?" the Suna shinobi sighed. "Men are strange."

Hinata looked at her friend thoughtfully. "Does Shikamaru do anything that is not meticulously well thought out first?"

"No," answered Temari quickly.

"Realistically, who is the most likely to win this tournament and face you?" Hinata queried in between bites.

"Until Shikamaru entered, it was definitely Darui," the blonde said softly. "The two of them are pretty close, but Darui trained with the third Raikage and has a kekkei genkai. On the other hand, Shikamaru found a way to defeat Hidan and cornered Madara. Ugh! I don't know!" the kunoichi groaned as she threw her hands into the air. "As far as jutsu versatility, Darui, but Shikamaru is so brilliant that he finds a way to defeat everything," Temari stated calmly before growing agitated again. "Hinata, this is the kind of thing that I discuss with Shikamaru!" the wind mistress almost yelled in the small bakery. "This makes my head hurt," she sighed as she buried her hands in her blonde hair.

"Oh, I am about to make your head hurt worse, my dear," Hinata chuckled. "Who would you rather be married to? Shikamaru or Darui?"

The wind mistress just sat there staring at the Hyuga as if she had forgotten how to speak. Her jaw dropped open and her eyes were like that of a deer.

"You do remember that ultimately this is what the tournament is all about?" the Hyuga heiress teased. "That is most likely why Shikamaru has arranged these mini dates for you between himself and Darui. He wants you to decide who you want to be with, then ask the other to withdraw," Hinata shrugged as if it was very simple.

"I didn't think Shikamaru ever thought of me as anything more than a friend," the Suna kunoichi sighed in exasperation.

"You can discuss that with him when you get your time with him," Hinata suggested. "Actually, forget about that for a moment. Think about which one you see yourself growing old with. Who could you see as the father of your children? Which village would you be happy in?" Hinata raised an eyebrow as she emphasized her last question knowing very well how much Temari loved being in Konoha.

"Why didn't he say something before I had the chance to get to know Darui?" Temari mumbled laying her head on the table. "That would have made my choice so much easier if I hadn't known there was another option."

"What kind of attitude is that?" Hinata laughed. "Just go on the dates this week and see how things go."

"You're right," the wind mistress moaned. "There's a good chance that neither one will make it past Gaara anyway, so I'm worrying about nothing." The two women laughed as they finished their breakfast not noticing that a certain shadowy figure had been lingering nearby listening to their conversation.

* * *

A/N –Hello everyone! This was what I worked on while I have been gone the last 6 weeks without my laptop/internet. I took a notebook and wrote what I thought would be a one shot…well as you can see it's not turning out to be a one shot. More like a two or three shot. I am hoping to get the rest of this typed out and edited within the next couple weeks in addition to getting back to my two ongoing stories. Thank you all for your patience.

Where on earth did this idea come from you ask? When doing character research I began to realize how many similarities there are between Darui and Shikamaru, so I decided to do a new love triangle I haven't seen anywhere else. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2:A Conflicted Heart

_**Temari's Tournament  
**_

_**A Conflicted Heart**_

Temari and Kankuro waited somewhat patiently in the kitchen of the Kazekage mansion where the three sand siblings lived. Temari's hair was down but in its natural curly mess. The wind mistress was wearing a short black sleeveless dress with black shorts underneath and her black sandals. It was a nice looking outfit, but still conducive to fighting if necessary. The two sand siblings were having a lively conversation on what the duties of a chaperone were when there was a knock on the front door. Gaara materialized from sand that seemed to come from nowhere to open the door before the other two even made it out of the kitchen. Gaara looked up to Darui who stood a full eight inches taller than the Kazekage.

"You're early," the red headed young man stated in a monotone voice as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Yes, Lord Kazekage," the man said as he bowed deeply. "I was always taught that if you arrive early, you are on time. If you are on time for an appointment, you were viewed as if you had arrived late." The young man shrugged as he continued, "I would like your permission to call on your sister, Kazekage-bosu, uh-sama." Darui inwardly groaned at his misuse of honorifics. He never addressed his own Raikage with -sama, it was always -bosu which was honestly far too informal. The left side of Gaara's lips turned upward in amusement as he raised a non-existent eyebrow.

Kankuro and Temari arrived behind the red head as he replied in an icy voice, "We would like you to come in for a few questions first." It was a request, but the tone and look in the sand wielder's eyes made it clear that it was a command. The former commander wore a lazy expression on his face, appearing undaunted by Gaara. The Kazekage motioned for the shinobi from Kumogakure to enter as his sand swirled around the group, closing the door behind them. Darui may have been taller, but no one had a more intimidating presence than Gaara.

"Certainly," Darui answered in a bored tone taking a few more steps past the red head towards where Temari stood. "May I give your sister a small token first," the dark skinned man said as he locked eyes with the wind mistress. "I'm sorry if you don't like it," he apologized quietly. His large hands extended towards the kunoichi holding a box as she silently continued to appraise him. The box was a beautiful deep blue with a lighter blue colored satin ribbon tied around it.

"Thank you," the fan wielder said softly as she took the gift.

Temari looked at her two brothers not sure if she should open it here in the entryway or wait until they all were seated in the living room. Kankuro shrugged while Gaara motioned for them to all go into the other room first. Darui extended an arm to escort the kunoichi into the other room, which she took gladly. He shoved his other hand into his pocket, much like another shinobi that Temari knew.

"Still a gentleman amongst scoundrels," she chuckled as they walked arm in arm. Kankuro glared at his sister for what she was implying as he plopped into a comfortable chair. Gaara was carried by his sand to a large chair as he continued to stare at the shinobi from Kumogakure.

Darui walked Temari over to a comfortable looking couch but waited to sit down until he was directed by Gaara. The Kazekage pointed for the tall young man to sit next to his eldest sibling even though he toyed with the idea of making Darui stand for the duration of their conversation/interrogation. The red head finally motioned for his sister to go ahead and open the gift. The wind mistress tugged at the satin ribbon, which untied easily, then removed the top of the box. The blonde kunoichi's breath caught for a moment as she truly smiled at the contents. Her captivating blue green eyes looked up to Darui's with an unsaid praise.

"What is it?" Kankuro asked impatiently from where he sat on the opposite side of the room. "Did he get you diamonds or something?" he snorted.

"No," Temari said quietly still looking into Darui's eyes. "What he brought was something far more precious to me. Edelweiss from the mountain tops of the Land of Lightning." She pulled the potted blooms out from the box as she looked at them fondly. Kankuro gave her a questioning look while Gaara nodded in approval of the gift. Temari glanced over to Kankuro who looked like he was still a little confused as to why a plant was such a big deal. "The flower is highly sought after for its medicinal purposes and is only found on precarious cliffs in the mountains," the kunoichi explained to her brother. She turned to Darui as she cocked her head, studying him closely. "The blooms are also collected by young suitors to prove that they are brave, able bodied, and serious in their intentions," she spoke slowly to emphasize her words. Temari watched the Kumogakure shinobi's reaction to see if that was something he was aware of when he selected the flower. The tall young man's expression had changed from one of boredom to quiet satisfaction. He had obviously known.

"Temari," Gaara said softly, "why don't you take those to your greenhouse while we speak with him." There was a mischievous gleam in the young Kazekage's eyes.

"I would like to get them to a friendlier environment, but fear leaving Darui in such a hostile one," the blonde quipped as she smirked at her little brother. "I will have him accompany me to the greenhouse, then we'll be back for your questions. OK?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes, obviously not pleased with her suggestion. "Then you take Kankuro with you as well," the Kazekage declared coolly knowing how Temari had banned the puppeteer from ever entering her sacred place again. Kankuro had accidentally destroyed some of her precious plants the last time he had been allowed in.

"Gaara, you know I will not take Kankuro in there ever again," growled Temari which caused a look of shock and hurt to cross the puppeteer's face.

"Hey, it was an accident! I didn't do it on purpose," defended the puppet master raising his hands in innocence.

The kunoichi turned to Darui apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I'll be back as fast as I can." "They promised me they would keep the questions reasonable," she asserted as she turned and glared at each brother in turn.

Kankuro snickered while Gaara simply stared back at Temari with his most stoic look. "Any question I have to ask him will be reasonable," the Kazekage stated unperturbedly. Temari gave him a skeptical look as she walked out of the room. The greenhouse was behind the Kazekage mansion, so thankfully she wouldn't be gone too long.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Shikamaru sat in his guest room of the Kazekage mansion quietly. He let out a long sigh as he assumed his thinking position on the edge of his bed. Luckily he was in a wing that was relatively empty other than his and Hinata's rooms. Hinata had left with Naruto around lunch time in search of ramen, but Shikamaru knew they would spend the rest of the day together exploring Suna. The shadow user knew Darui was in the main building since he could feel the unmistakable chakra of the former commander emanating from there. Shikamaru had been trying to focus on what he should say to Temari when he finally saw her, but the presence of his rival seemed to simply be too distracting. Darui's chakra was strong, his years training with the third Raikage had obviously paid off.

The second right hand of the current Raikage could wield lightning and water as well as the storm release, which was his kekkei genkai. Three, the man could utilize three different chakra affinities. The third Raikage had even passed down his special black lightning technique to the man. Shikamaru had to admit Darui's elements would complement Temari's wind affinity. The two would make a formidable couple and any children they had could have amazing potential. Shikamaru had his clan's shadow techniques which were yin chakra based, but that was it. '_Wind and shadows could be a pretty good combination too_', he tried to convince himself. If he had trained more, maybe he would have found additional elements he could wield. Shikamaru could feel his heart rate and blood pressure rising with his thoughts. The shadow user knew it was because he was angry and he was angry for multiple reasons.

Shikamaru was angry because he was jealous. He was angry because he had been so lazy the majority of his life. He was angry at himself for never telling Temari how he felt about her. He was angry because it took seeing Temari with another man before he finally acted. Sure, this whole tournament was about marrying the wind mistress off, but he sincerely had thought that he would be able to coach Temari to victory no matter who she faced off against. It never occurred to him that she might actually fall in love with someone else. He was a genius, but for some reason that thought never crossed his mind. It had seemed impossible for some reason.

Shikamaru had had years with her that he could have done something. He had known the blonde kunoichi since he was 12. They had worked together on the Chunnin exams. They had both been assigned to fourth division. Looking back he had been given so many opportunities it was rather ridiculous actually. If he had waited all this time to do something, did he even deserve her? He never did anything though because she was a good friend that he didn't want to lose. She was someone he respected and enjoyed talking to. Temari was intellectually stimulating, which was rare for Shikamaru to say about someone. There was no one else he could have a real in depth debate with other than Temari and his father. He had been a coward and could potentially lose her now because of it.

Shikamaru was also painfully aware that he was three years younger than Temari, while Darui was five years older than her. Would she be better off with an older man?

"This is ridiculous," the genius grumbled out loud to himself. "Focus Shikamaru. What are you going to say? What are you going to say when you finally see her tonight? You need to have something ready, something good, or she is going to kill you."

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

"How many children do you want to have?" Gaara asked Darui as Temari was finally walking back into the room. The kunoichi turned a very bright red as she glared at her brother. The Kazekage simply ignored her and continued to look intently at Darui as he waited for the answer. Temari sighed as she sat back down on the couch next to the handsome young man that was still here despite whatever ridiculous questions her brothers had asked him while she was gone.

"Ideally two, but maybe three," the dark skinned young man answered calmly. "I would like a son and a daughter, but realize there is the chance I could have two sons or two daughters. In that case I would probably want to try one more time."

The red head nodded to Kankuro that it was his turn which made the puppeteer smile wickedly. "Just so you know, our sister is still a virgin. How many sexual partners have you had?"

"Kankuro!" the blonde bellowed as she charged across the room towards him. "You two are the reason no man would ever come near me!" she yelled as she launched a roundhouse kick towards the puppeteer's head. Kankuro fell backwards out of his chair trying to evade her as he laughed maniacally. Temari's blow was intercepted at the last second as she was restrained by a wall of sand much to her dismay. "Gaara," the kunoichi hissed as she turned her head to glare at her youngest brother.

"I'm sorry if he embarrassed you," Gaara said calmly to his sister. "Kankuro, I believe you need to select a different question," the red head spoke in his monotone voice with laughter dancing in his eyes.

"Do you gamble?" Kankuro asked with disappointment in his voice.

"No," Darui answered sounding bored.

"Do you think that wives should defer all decision making to their husbands?" Gaara asked as he had his sand carry Temari back over to the couch. The blonde crossed her arms with a huff once she was released.

"Marriage should be a team. You discuss the options and make the decision together. Neither the man or the woman should be a dictator," the Kumogakure shinobi answered with a little more interest in his voice. He still had a bored expression on his face as he placed his cheek on his right hand.

"Do you like animals?" Kankuro asked smiling, "Ferrets in particular, you're screwed if you don't like ferrets."

Darui actually smiled before answering, "Yes, I like animals and am well aware of your sister's contract with ferrets."

"You were offered the lead position of the Kumogakure Intelligence Squad after the war, but turned it down. Why?" the Kazekage asked as he turned his head slightly. Darui shifted his weight and sat up a little straighter, obviously surprised by this question.

"I am not a sensor shinobi and the unit would be better served if its lead was a sensor type," Darui answered as he leaned forward placing his elbows on both knees as he clasped his hands together. "I was offered a different position after that which is more suited to my strengths and abilities," he explained with a wary look in his eyes not sure how much more to share.

"Really?" Gaara asked obviously faking surprise. "What is your new position then? Is it one that would put my sister in danger?"

"My title is classified and requires the Raikage's approval to discuss," the Kumogakure shinobi sighed. He turned and looked apologetically to Temari as he continued, "I'm sorry, but yes my station is one that would potentially make your sister a target." He hung his head for a moment before looking back to her brothers and continuing. "Really though, hasn't Temari been a desired mark her entire life? She was the fourth Kazekage's daughter and the current Kazekage's sister, so my position would only slightly endanger her more than she already has been," Darui reasoned as he looked between Kankuro and Gaara as he spoke. "That is part of why she is the ideal wife for me, she is an amazing kunoichi that would constantly be on guard for an attack or ambush."

"Even with whatever this position is and the dangers it poses, you still want to have kids?" Kankuro asked in disbelief. Gaara had not shared whatever information it was that he had with Kankuro, so this was all news to the puppet master.

Darui looked directly into Kankuro's eyes as he replied clearly, "Yes, if my wife is Temari. She is probably the only woman that would be able to protect herself and our children. I can and will arrange for additional guards, especially when she is pregnant, but the fact that she can take care of things herself is a huge turn on, uhmm, I mean benefit." The dark skinned man inwardly groaned at his second slip up so far in this '_interview_'. He looked to the kunoichi out of the corner of his eyes to see she was wearing a huge grin.

"OK," Temari said as she stood up. "I think he has answered enough questions, so we are heading out. We will be back at four," she stated as she grabbed Darui's hand and pulled him up with surprising force. Temari noticed how solidly built he was, so it definitely took more effort to move him than most men. Kankuro started to object when Gaara raised his hand to him for silence shaking his head from side to side. "Thank you Gaara," Temari said softly as she gave him a small bow. "We will go to the dango shop and walk around the north end of Suna. I have my fan in a scroll." The Kazekage nodded in understanding and motioned for the couple to leave.

The pair moved quickly out of the Kazekage mansion with Temari leading the way, still holding Darui's hand lightly. "I'm so sorry about all of that," the kunoichi apologized once they were finally in the streets of Suna.

"It's no problem," Darui shrugged. "Your brothers just care about you and it gives me more insight on you." The young man said softly as he looked up to the sky. The two walked in comfortable silence as he shoved his free hand into his pocket. He was surprised that Temari was still holding his hand, but wasn't about to comment on it.

'_Looking up at the sky and shoving his hands into his pockets_,' the wind mistress thought to herself as she looked over at Darui. '_He and Shikamaru do a lot of the same things_,' she inwardly sighed.

"I hope you like dango," the wind mistress said with a smile as she bumped into the side of the tall young man. She was the same height as Gaara, so Darui was still a good eight inches taller than her as well. Temari didn't mind though, there was something about him that just made her feel at ease.

"Who doesn't?" answered the Kumogakure shinobi as he grinned. The couple was nearing the dango shop as they walked into a busier area of Suna. Temari noticed that several people stopped what they were doing and began to smile at her. She thought that was odd until she realized that she was still holding Darui's hand. It had seemed so natural, that she hadn't even thought about it. She suddenly removed her hand from his as if she had been burned.

"Oh, uh, uhmm," sputtered the kunoichi. "I didn't realize I was," she fumbled.

"I'm sorry," apologized Darui as he looked at her clearly amused. "I should have said something."

"Well, no," Temari started to explain. "I just don't, I mean…how do I say this?" the blonde sighed. "I am not an affectionate person. I am actually known in Suna for being quite cold hearted and cruel," she said seriously looking into the young man's eyes.

"You don't say?" Darui quipped as the edges of his mouth turned upward in a small smile. The kunoichi from Suna was understating her reputation actually. She was known as 'the cruelest kunoichi' across the entire shinobi world, not just Suna.

Temari tried not to laugh at his obvious sarcasm. "Come on, let's get some dango," she ordered as she rolled her eyes at him.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

"The view from here is my favorite," murmured Temari dreamily as she looked out across the desert. She had brought her young suitor to the North lookout tower but rather than going inside, the pair climbed to the top of the structure on the outside. The wind mistress preferred to be out in the elements rather than looking out of a tiny window. "Do you see there, far out in the distance?" the kunoichi asked as she pointed. Darui brought his face right next to her arm to see exactly where she was pointing and nodded his head. Their faces were close which caused Temari to hesitate for a second, but she decided to be bold and pressed her cheek against his. "That's a sandstorm," she whispered looking at Darui out of the corner of her eye. "It's not headed this way thankfully. I like to watch them from a distance to study the air currents. I ultimately want to be able to create a sandstorm or something like it with my own jutsu," she explained with yearning in her voice. The wind mistress continued to look into the distance longingly not realizing that the shinobi from Kumogakure was studying her out of the corner of his eye.

"You would love the view from my new home," Darui murmured to himself not really meaning to say it out loud. He pulled his face away from hers but noticed the slight flicker of disappointment in Temari's eyes. He picked her up as if she were nothing as he sat down on the roof of the lookout tower, placing her gently in front of him. The young man wrapped his muscular arms around her which prompted a small smile from the kunoichi.

"Really? Why is that?" the blonde kunoichi asked as she turned slightly to see his face.

Darui appeared to think about it for a moment, not sure how much he was allowed to talk about. He let out a sigh as he placed his chin on her shoulder still looking out over the desert. "Well, I can tell you that my new position placed me living on a mountain. A very tall mountain," began the dark skinned young man. "The view from the front of my home looks towards a seeming endless sea. The storms that travel across the ocean are captivating, but I also live in the middle of the lightning storm belt." The shinobi couldn't help but smile as he described the area he lived in with great detail and the many storms he had watched in the short time he had lived there.

"It sounds wonderful," Temari said softly with envy. "It makes sense that you would watch storms too. It is surprising how many things we have in common," she said absentmindedly as she stared off into the distance. The feel of his arms around her was intoxicating and almost disorienting. She felt so small in his presence, but safe.

"I could help you develop a storm jutsu," the young man whispered to the kunoichi which caused her to involuntarily shudder. "It wouldn't be a genuine 'storm jutsu' like mine, but a modified wind jutsu with storm properties."

"You have my attention," Temari purred not believing that she would ever behave like this around a man.

"But I won't do it until after the tournament," Darui tried to say with a straight face, but chuckled at the end. Temari turned around to smack him playfully on his shoulder as she gave him a dirty look. "Come on, I have to survive you and your brothers," he teased. "I don't need to give you any more advantages than you already have." Temari went to smack his shoulder again as she laughed but Darui grabbed her wrist lightly with his hand. The momentum she had sent her tumbling into his chest which only caused them both to laugh harder. He smelled like the mountains; like snow, menthol, and frosted vanilla. Temari placed her hands on his chest trying to separate herself from him as she still chuckled. The blonde kunoichi was silenced when she felt his right hand against her face as his left arm wrapped around her waist pulling her back towards him. "I'm not very good at this sort of thing," the dark skinned man said softly bringing his lips close to hers, "so tell me if I am crossing the line."

Temari didn't say anything, she simply moved her head slightly from side to side afraid to move further away from him. There was electricity between the two of them like she had never felt before. Darui slid his hand along her face and into her hair gently pulling the wind mistress' lips the remaining distance to his. Temari closed her eyes as they met, both slightly hesitant but relieved when each realized the other did not object to what was about to happen. It was perfect. He was so strong, but gentle and soft at the right times. It was a short, yet very sweet kiss which left them both slightly breathless.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like it's time I get you back to your brothers," the handsome shinobi murmured.

"I know," the blonde kunoichi agreed softly as she reluctantly pulled away from him.

_oO0OooO0OooO0Oo_

* * *

Temari stood in the living room doorway glaring at her brothers as she waited impatiently for Shikamaru. She was now wearing a flowing purple dress with matching heels for her evening with Shikamaru which was supposed to be a private dinner in the Kazekage mansion. Gaara watched her with silent interest while Kankuro goaded her.

"What's the matter? Did things not go well with lover boy number one?" the puppet master taunted.

"Do you want to die a slow and excruciatingly painful death?" Temari responded with venom in her voice as Shikamaru walked into the room behind her. "Ugh, finally!" the kunoichi groaned as she shoved him into the room. The wind mistress looked into Gaara's eyes as she began to speak quickly. "He wants two children, one boy and one girl." The kunoichi turned to Kankuro, "He is a virgin, women have been too troublesome and not worth the effort. He doesn't gamble either." She continued to look back and forth between the two brothers as she answered all the questions that they had asked Darui earlier in the day for Shikamaru. "Shikamaru turned down a position offered by the Fire Daimyo with the Twelve Guardian Ninja to remain in Konoha and protect Asuma's child," she finished. "You haven't taken any new dangerous position that I know of, have you?" Temari asked the shadow user finally looking at him again.

"Uh, no," Shikamaru answered. He had figured out what Temari was doing and had mixed feelings about the fact that she could answer every question about him, for him.

"There, he's answered all of your questions. Can we go now?" seethed the kunoichi.

"Actually, he didn't answer,"Kankuro started as Gaara cut him off.

"Yes, you may. Have a nice evening," the Kazekage interrupted motioning for the two to leave. Temari stormed out dragging the nin from Konoha behind her.

"What the hell just happened?" the puppet master asked looking to his little brother.

Gaara gave his brother a wicked smile, "Things just got interesting. We may actually lose Temari to someone in this whole charade."

The puppeteer laughed, "No one is going to beat you and I together after fighting sis. I know Darui and Shikamaru are good, but I don't think either one could beat us when we work together."

The red head looked at his brother with conflicting emotions on his face. "We will be defeated if Temari wants us to lose. We will forfeit."

"What?" Kankuro said in disbelief. "You don't think she is actually going to leave Suna to marry one of these guys?" The puppet master stood and spoke as if he was trying to convince himself just as much as Gaara. "No, Temari loves Suna more than anything else. We aren't going to lose because we won't even get the chance to fight. Temari will win her match and this will all be done."

"I hope you're right," the Kazekage said softly.

-oO0OooO0Oo-

* * *

"Temari, the dining room is the other way," Shikamaru growled as he yanked his hand from hers.

"We aren't eating dinner," the kunoichi answered as she turned to look into his hawk-like brown eyes. "We need to talk, Shikamaru Nara."

"I know," the genius said quietly with guilt in his voice. "I'm sorry Temari, I am so sorry I waited so long."

The hardness in the kunoichi's eyes disappeared before she grabbed his hand again. "Come on, crybaby, not here," she teased glancing over her shoulder.

The genius noticed that Temari didn't smile though. Shikamaru could tell that she was still angry and she had plenty of reasons to be. The kunoichi led him to a stone garden that was in the center of the estate and practically threw him onto the bench. The wind mistress crossed her arms as she stood over the Nara and looked at him expectantly. "So, where do you want to start?" the blonde asked sarcastically.

"Tem, I understand that you're mad. You have every right to be," the shadow user began.

"Don't you, Tem, me!" she practically screamed. "Years! You've had years to do something. Is it just that you don't want to see me with someone else? You don't want me but don't really want anyone else to have me either?" The blonde stomped the ground as her hands balled up into fists at her side. "I don't need your sympathy," she added in barely a whisper as she closed her eyes. "I can fight my own battles alone, I did it before and can do it again."

"Will you even give me a chance to speak?" the genius asked softly trying to calm her down. "I want you or I wouldn't be doing this. This is far too troublesome for me to be doing just as some misplaced ego thing."

"If you had shown any interest before now, I wouldn't be in this situation! Gaara would have happily married me off to you despite the objections of the council because he wanted a permanent tie to Konoha and his friend, Naruto," the blonde kunoichi continued to vent.

"I didn't know what to do!" interrupted the genius now yelling back at the blonde out of frustration. He calmed himself before continuing in a level voice trying to explain, "I didn't want to lose you by screwing things up. I wanted us to be more but had no idea about how to change us from friends to something more."

"You could have done something you, you, lazy ass!" Temari shrieked back.

The pony tailed Nara stood up with a look in his eyes that the kunoichi had never seen before. It was a combination of determination and something else she couldn't place. He grabbed her shoulders firmly and brought his face close to hers as he spoke slowly, "I'm doing something now. Give me the rest of our lives to make it up to you, please."

"I don't know, Shikamaru," the blonde answered in barely a whisper as she threw her arms around him. "It might be too late," she quietly sobbed into his shoulder.

The shadow user wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair, comforting her. "It's never too late," the genius murmured.

_**A/N There is another motivation in this story that you will find out at the end, but please understand that this isn't something cut and dry for Temari. She is incredibly conflicted. She thinks she should be with Shikamaru because she knows him and had wanted him all these years but never acted on it. The problem is everything just seems so right with Darui instead. She is angry because she wants things with Shikamaru to feel like they do when she is with Darui. ** _


	3. Chapter 3:Progress

_**Temari's Tournament**_

_** Part 3**_

_**Progress  
**_

The night Temari broke down to Shikamaru was a disaster. The two never arriving to dinner had set Gaara and Kankuro off on a man hunt that found their prey in the rock garden. Kankuro had yanked the genius off the ground by the back of his vest while Gaara wrapped his arms around Temari to drag her away. The fact that Temari was crying infuriated the brothers since the fierce kunoichi only cried once a year. The wind mistress allowed herself to quietly cry the night of Gaara's birthday every year, since it was also the day their mother died. Shikamaru tried unsuccessfully to explain, but the two younger sand siblings didn't want to hear any part of it. Temari eventually smoothed things over by talking to her brothers long into the night, but Shikamaru had been sent back to his room through the entire ordeal.

The following days were just as frustrating for the kunoichi. She wanted things to go well with Shikamaru, but every date seemed to be a catastrophe. They still had not even kissed, which was maddening. The two had known each other the majority of their lives, so things should be smooth with Shikamaru and bumpy with the nin from Kumogakure. The exact opposite was what was happening though. The blonde found that her dates with Darui were absolute perfection.

Temari was more than halfway through her week of 'dates' prior to the tournament when Gaara summoned her to the Kazekage office. It was only 8am, so the kunoichi figured that it must be something of significance to interrupt her morning training. The wind mistress had been working on a new jutsu when an anbu found her and informed her she needed to report to the Kazekage tower immediately. The Mizukage, Chojuro, Raikage, Darui, Kankuro, Naruto, and Shikamaru were all present when the kunoichi strode into the office. Temari was wearing full combat duty attire complete with her giant iron fan strapped to her back. Her face was flushed as sweat dripped from her body. "Lord Kazekage," the wind mistress bowed deeply before Gaara who was seated behind his desk. When Temari was in uniform she was serious and straight to business. The blonde's eyes darted to Darui only for an instant, but her face never changed from its serious expression. She noted that the dark skinned shinobi was wearing his usual bored expression with his hands shoved into his pockets from where he stood behind the Raikage. The fan wielder locked eyes with Gaara and reminded herself to focus on him. Shikamaru's heart sank that it wasn't him that her gaze had briefly shifted to.

"There is a very large sand storm coming in that could last for several days," the red head stated calmly. "Please instruct the Kage's and Naruto as to where their shinobi can take shelter and our procedures. I have already activated the usual plans for our citizens. The storm is forecasted to arrive tonight around 7pm."

"Hai, Gaara-sama," she bowed again before she began to give directions to all present. "Water rationing is to begin immediately; this means no baths or showers. Minimal water for consumption and cooking only," the kunoichi demanded being respectful, but firm. "All training and academy functions are to be suspended effective noon today," she proclaimed as she looked from Gaara to Naruto. The hyperactive blonde was the most likely to decide to do some training marathon just prior to the sand storm hitting.

She was Suna's tactician; she planned for these situations far before they ever occurred. The wind mistress continued to explain procedures and delegate responsibilities between the three villages that had the most shinobi currently present in Suna. Temari inwardly braced for Shikamaru to speak up and point out something she had overlooked, but was surprised when he didn't interrupt her. Gaara had already initiated their standard protocols, but due to the large number of people in Suna for the tournament they were going to need additional resources. They had to have sufficient water reserves, food, and basic necessities while securing all of the buildings to insure the least amount of storm damage possible. The sand storm coming in had a mile high lead wall, which would be very destructive by itself, but there was the potential for tornados within. Kankuro had pulled out maps of the village as well as provided Temari the list of current Suna shinobi ready for deployment and spread them across a large table. The blonde explained to each Kage where their people would be assigned to and pointed the locations out on the map. She clarified that they were not to leave their locations for any reason once the storm begins. If there was a building collapse or some disaster that drove them into the storm they had to keep masks covering their mouths and noses to prevent sand from entering their lungs which could cause severe and possibly fatal illness.

Temari and Kankuro went through the rosters to assign all available Sunan shinobi tasks to prepare for the impending storm. The fan wielder frowned as she realized how shorthanded they were. The Raikage silently walked over to Gaara's desk where the two discussed something in whispers and appeared to come to an agreement. "Temari, you can utilize C and Darui of Kumogakure on the walls," the red head interrupted as she discussed with Kankuro the possibility of only three shinobi manning the protective barriers around Suna.

"Thank you, Raikage-sama," Temari bowed deeply. "This will allow me to place Kazekage-sama in a safer position."

Kankuro turned to Gaara to explain, "We are so short handed it was going to be us three manning the towers for the entire storm. Just like old times, ne?"

"You're still manning a tower for the duration, Kankuro," Temari replied curtly.

Naruto piped up enthusiastically, "Shikamaru and I can help!"

"Tch, how troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru under his breath as he shoved his hands into his pockets. The blonde kunoichi locked eyes with him for a second, the look in her eyes indiscernible. Shikamaru immediately felt guilty again and looked at the ground.

The Kazekage stood from his desk and walked over to the table to look things over quietly. "I think I will request that you leave me on the walls, Temari. I haven't had the pleasure of a good sand storm in a while," the red head said softly. "This is ultimately your decision, but I would like to suggest the North tower manned by you and Darui, South tower myself and Naruto, East tower Kankuro and Shikamaru, and the West tower C and Baki."

Temari looked over the papers strewn across the desk, picking up a couple to examine them closer. The kunoichi looked back at her youngest brother suspiciously before answering. "As you wish, Lord Kazekage," the mistress of the wind said slowly as she nodded her head.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Temari stood with her hands on her hips as she looked at the two men in front of her. The sand storm roared outside, the strong winds causing the tower to groan as it was pummeled with sand. Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets with a bored expression on his face. Darui was unwittingly doing the exact same thing before he looked out the window noticing that everything outside was now black. When Darui wasn't looking Temari narrowed her eyes at the genius as she glared at him, which caused the genius to lift his chin and stare defiantly back at the kunoichi. The two quickly resumed their prior facial expressions when Darui turned back towards Temari.

"Kankuro sent you here with an urgent message then?" the wind mistress asked the shadow user warily.

"Yes," the Nara answered as he produced a scroll sealed with the puppet master's chakra.

The blonde kunoichi released the seal so she could see what her brother was up to. Temari had difficulty maintaining her professional demeanor as she glanced over the message.

_**Sis,**_

_**Gaara and I didn't like the idea of you being alone with a guy for a couple days. It's not that we don't trust you, but we're just making sure you don't give in to temptation. Have fun and don't kill anyone!**_

_**Love, Kankuro and Gaara**_

The kunoichi felt her eye twitch as she tried to keep up her cool façade. Why were her brothers so much trouble for her? She couldn't help but wonder if they were trying to kill her.

"OK," the kunoichi sighed as she put away the scroll. She placed a hand on her hip as she looked at the two men again. "Obviously Shikamaru won't be making it back to his post, so there will now be three of us riding out the storm here. We will do four hour watches," the blonde said with an air of authority. "I am taking the first shift. Darui, you will be the second. Shikamaru will be last in the rotation," she ordered. Temari explained where everything in the tower was and what things they should be watching for. "Any questions?" she asked as she turned to assume her post.

"When we aren't on lookout duty, do we need to remain in the shelter downstairs or are we free to move about?" Darui asked sounding bored.

"It's our standard procedure that anyone not on lookout duty remains in the shelter for accountability," Temari answered appearing to think it over. "I think its best we follow protocol," she decided with finality as she nodded her head. "Please go ahead downstairs to rest. I'll see you in four hours."

"Sure," the Nara replied with a smirk. Temari hadn't called him out in front of Darui, which he took as a good sign. Shikamaru had known there was no important message from Kankuro, but he had played along with the puppet master. Why not, it had worked to his advantage. The genius had waited and timed his arrival at the tower for just the right moment. He knew the kunoichi couldn't send him back out into the storm and would have no choice but to allow him to stay. He also realized that Temari would know very well that he had intentionally stranded himself there but he had decided that the benefit outweighed the risk. Shikamaru was willing to suffer the repercussions in exchange for denying Darui the chance to be alone with Temari for what could be days. His concerns may have been unfounded since she had completely switched to shinobi mode; Temari's only objective was completing her assignment. '_That's my Temari_,' he thought. '_Always so serious._'

Darui had already started walking to the steps with his hands still shoved casually into his pockets. Shikamaru fell into step behind him, still not realizing that the two had similar posture and habits. The Nara admired and studied the workmanship of the sword the Kumogakure nin carried on his back as he walked. Temari watched the two descend the stairs like long lost brothers, shaking her head once they were out of view. The blonde let out a soft groan as she pinched her nose, wishing that she had just assigned herself to do this alone. It would be so much easier than dealing with this. The kunoichi looked out the window longingly as a light shone in her eyes. "I think it's time to go to my happy place," she whispered softly as she began weaving hand signs. The four pigtailed blonde was surrounded by currents of air, swirling around her to form a protective barrier. She walked out the doors silently and onto the tower wall. Her winds had kept the sand and roaring winds from entering the tower when she had slipped outside. The mistress of the wind knew the north tower and its walls like the back of her hand since she had walked them ever since she was a little girl. The sky was still thick with sand which caused next to zero visibility, but Temari still walked swiftly across the stones with a smile forming on her face. The kunoichi found the location that she wanted with ease then sat down assuming a meditative position. The four pigtailed blonde searched her surroundings with all of her senses. She looked for chakra signatures, unfamiliar sounds, and out of place scents as she listened to the howling winds around her. The destructive winds of a sand storm that she found comfort in.

oO0OooO00Oo

* * *

"Come on Hinata-chan, it can't be that bad," Naruto whined as the pale beauty coughed and choked. The raven haired kunoichi had just tried a sip of the Sunan sake the jinchuriki had brought with him. The Hyuga heiress' quickly downed her cup with Naruto cheering her on. The byakugan user's cheeks flushed quickly afterward. "Uhh, well. Ahh. Noo," she sputtered, "Should we really be doing this? Aren't we on lookout duty?"

Gaara looked at her stoically from where he sat with two fingers covering his right eye. "Temari, Kankuro, and I have covered all four walls with just the three of us before. Temari and I can move freely in a sand storm, plus I can send my eye anywhere needed to see what is going on," the Kazekage shrugged. "I can easily use my eye for all our watches."

"That is so cool," Naruto interjected energetically as he poured three more cups.

"Lord Kazekage, should you be drinking though if you are doing all the watches?" Hinata asked quietly.

"I have a high tolerance for Sunan sake," he replied in his monotone voice as he picked up the cup with his free hand. Hinata and Naruto quickly picked theirs up as they all toasted, "Kampai!" then quickly downed their glasses.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Darui leaned against the wall of the main look out room with his arms crossed. He stared at the doors across the room intently. He had arrived for his watch early but Temari was nowhere to be found. The Kumogakure shinobi had sensed her chakra outside heading back to the tower, so he waited patiently. Chakra laced winds began to seep in around the doors just before the kunoichi opened them quietly, not allowing a single grain of sand from the storm into the room. Temari closed the doors behind her before turning back to face Darui.

"Impressive," the white haired shinobi stated softly as their eyes met. "Didn't you say that no one was allowed to go out into the storm?" he asked as he began to walk lazily towards her. The dark skinned man shoved his hands into his pockets as he strode across to her.

"Well, there are a few of us that are exceptions to that rule," the kunoichi smirked. "It was a secret though, so now I'm afraid I'll have to kill you," she teased as she sauntered across the room to meet him halfway.

"Could you make it slow and painful, please?" the tall man murmured playfully in her ear as he leaned over the kunoichi.

"Oh?" Temari exclaimed as she raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize that you were into that sort of thing," she began seductively. "But I'll see what I can do," she whispered as she moved behind him. The kunoichi moved with lightning speed, it only took several swift movements to have the towering nin on his knees before her. Temari had her fingers on a pressure point in one ear of the sword wielding shinobi while her other hand held a kunai to his throat. Darui smirked back at her since she was wearing quite the smile. Temari leaned over him conspiratorially as she whispered, "How about we make a deal? You know one of my secrets, so you should share one of yours in return. Why don't you tell me about this new position that you've taken?"

Darui's eyes darkened for a moment as he thought about it, his playfulness suddenly gone. Temari gasped as she was suddenly disarmed and lifted off of the ground with amazing speed. Darui pinned her to the floor making sure not to hurt her, but making sure to immobilize the kunoichi. "No, Temari," the white haired nin said with conviction. "I want you to make your decision based on who I am, not what position I hold. I'm not going to take a risk that it will influence your answer. I want you to want me," he breathed with concern clear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," the blonde whispered as she placed a hand softly on the side of his face. "I was only teasing. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm sorry I threw you around a little there," the dark skinned man said softly as he offered her his hand to help her up off the ground.

"Don't be, I started it," Temari smiled as she looked up at him and shook her head. The kunoichi straightened out her uniform before lightly placing her hand on his arm. "I'll see you in four hours." The blonde walked quietly to the stairs and slowly descended from view. Temari glanced at him one last time as she disappeared from sight to see him looking out the window. He was looking out into the storm like she had. He appeared enthralled.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Shikamaru and Temari argued the first hour they were confined to the shelter together. Their voices ranged from yelling to hostile whispers until they finally began to make peace with one another. The couple were finally making progress after the disastrous week they had been having, but it took them being locked up in a basement together to get there.

"Well at least you care about me enough to abandon your post," the blonde commented in a mocking tone as she crossed her arms.

"Tem, I didn't abandon my post technically. I was following orders," the genius sighed as he placed his hands behind his head. The Nara was seated against a wall that he had occasionally been resting his head on. He looked away from Temari to a corner of the room as he spoke slowly, "Let's get to the real issue. Do you even want me here or not?"

The blonde's eyes softened as his eyes came back to meet hers. She walked over to where the genius sat on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. The kunoichi slowly slid down the wall so she was seated beside him. "Do you really have to ask that?"she asked in a defeated tone.

"Yes, because I don't know," the genius murmured looking at her. "It seems like all we have done is fight this week. We usually have playful banter, not full out fights like this."

"I know," Temari groaned. "Yes, I want you here, Shika," the blonde barely whispered as if it was painful for her to say. She looked at the floor in front of her so she wouldn't have to face him. She was still a proud kunoichi, even with everything else going on in her life.

"Then why are we fighting? Yes, I have been a comedy of errors this week with my mouth. I screw up, I say the wrong things at the wrong time. I do learn from my mistakes though," the genius said as he draped his arm over her shoulders. Temari shifted so her head was on his shoulder and wrapped one of her arms around his waist.

"I thought it would be easy," Temari uttered quietly. "I imagined when you and I finally admitted how we felt about each other; it would be all downhill after that."

The Nara smirked, "You aren't the only one." "Some geniuses we turned out to be, huh?" he shrugged as he wrapped his other arm around Temari to pull her close. The shadow user kissed the top of her head as he mumbled, "Troublesome woman."

"You're a little high there," the blonde complained as she looked into Shikamaru's brown eyes.

"Oh, sorry" the shadow user smiled. "How about there?" he chuckled as he kissed the wind mistress on the forehead.

"Cold," droned the kunoichi as she rolled her eyes.

"How about here?" he murmured sweetly as he gently kissed her cheek.

"Nope," the fan wielder said pretending indifference.

"Here?" Shikamaru asked as he pecked the end of her nose.

"Getting warmer," Temari murmured pleasantly.

"Here?" the genius whispered seductively as he trailed kisses down her neck. The kunoichi's stomach turned flips as she felt her entire body temperature rise.

"Not what I had in mind," she managed to choke out as she gasped from the sensation. "But it works."

The Nara slowly kissed his way back up her neck, then across her jaw line as he slid a hand to the back of her neck. He moved his face to mere inches away from the blonde's; his soul piercing eyes meeting her wide open ones. The genius moved his lips towards hers, but stopped just short and hovered there. Temari let a tiny whimper escape her lips as she eagerly waited. "I love you," Shikamaru murmured before finally bringing his lips to hers. The wind mistress felt as if she had forgotten how to breathe as his lips pressed against hers again and again. She opened her mouth in response without thinking, which the shadow user eagerly took advantage of with his tongue. Shikamaru weaved several hand signs summoning his shadows to stand the pair up as they continued to kiss passionately. A moan slipped from Temari's lips as she felt his shadows wrap around her; the sensation was strange but pleasant. The Nara moved his hands to her hips, pulling her entire body against his. They both gasped at the contact, feeling the heat between their bodies, before they resumed their fervent kissing.

Temari lost herself in the sensations, not thinking about anything but how good she felt. The kunoichi's mind snapped back to reality when she felt Shikamaru's hand slide up her body to cup her breast. The feeling was pleasant but she needed to get back control over herself. The blonde reminded herself that she was the Kazekage's sister, the Sunan ambassador, and didn't have the luxury of being a silly girl that got carried away in the moment. The shinobi part of her personality kicked back in to override the pleasure she felt.

"Shika, please, we need to stop," the blonde said pushing him gently away.

"Temari, you don't understand how long I," the genius argued with desperation in his voice.

"I do," she replied firmly. "I need to do the right thing. I'm confused right now, Shikamaru. I need to make my decision with a clear head and not my hormones," she said as she pushed him away with more force. "I can't say that I love you. I'm not going to lie to you," the kunoichi said slowly. The hurt and disappointment were obvious on Shikamaru's face as she continued, "I'm still not sure I can love anyone. Give me time, please, give me time to sort this out."

"I've waited this long," the genius murmured. "What's a little longer?" he asked trying to force a small smile.

"You need to get some rest," Temari commanded as she walked over to her supplies. The kunoichi grabbed her cloak, goggles, and mask then turned to the Nara. "I'll be back before your watch," she declared with no emotion in her voice. The mistress of the wind slipped her cloak on quickly as she turned to leave the room.

"Wait, Temari," Shikamaru said with more force than he had intended.

"Please," was all she said as she turned to look at him. The look on her face was that of a trapped animal. A creature terrified of being tamed. The shadow user's request died as he looked into her blue-green eyes. He simply nodded his head in understanding.

The kunoichi moved with swiftness and grace up the steps as quickly as her feet would carry her. She slipped her fan from its holster from underneath her cloak with ease while climbing the stairs at a rapid pace. The iron fan in her hands felt comforting and reassuring, helping her to regain her composure. Temari climbed the last few steps to the lookout room and found Darui already by the doors watching her entry warily.

"Again, all ready?" he asked softly.

"I need to feel the wind," she answered in a haunting voice.

"As you wish," the dark skinned man bowed moving out of her way with concern clearly written in his eyes.

"One hour," she said softly. "If I am not back in one hour, come after me." The fan wielder slipped on her mask and goggles as she added, "Wear you cloak, goggles, and mask or you will not survive." Temari tucked her fan under one arm as she began weaving hand signs again. The currents of air swirled around her, tossing her cloak and hair around wildly. Then she was gone. The four pigtailed blonde was through the doors so quickly that Darui never registered a change of air pressure in the room. The sword wielding nin from Kumogakure felt a terrifying spike in Temari's chakra as he heard her let out a blood curdling battle cry. He could sense she was hurtling jutsu after jutsu out into the sand storm with horrifying ferocity. The tall young man couldn't help but wonder if that is what she did when she faced his mentor, the third Raikage. He had heard that she led part of fourth division against the resurrected Raikage with the advice of Dodai.

Darui looked out the window since the storm had let up enough that there was slight visibility. He watched silently, occasionally catching glimpses of the wild kunoichi who was blindly attacking the storm. Lightening flashed across the sky but didn't faze her at all; electricity was being discharged from the sand everywhere with no discernible pattern. Temari couldn't maintain her protective barrier with all the chakra she was using, but she battled on while being pummeled by the sand. The white haired nin from Kumogakure watched her in silent awe. He had heard about her fighting style, how terrifying she could be, but had only seen a glimpse of it firsthand when they fought together against Sasuke. The fact that she was able to swing the large iron fan in the midst of sixty mile an hour winds was impressive in and of itself. The kunoichi's rampage lasted for what felt like forever to Darui as he sensed her chakra growing weaker and weaker. The dark skinned man watched her put her fan away and walk to the edge of the wall with her arms outstretched. The mistress of the wind let her head fall back as she spread her fingers wide to feel the currents. The cloak around her whipped wildly in the relentless wind as she sat down in a swift, graceful movement. The kunoichi arranged herself in a meditative position, looking like a monk in prayer. The blonde's head was bowed to the storm and her hands folded in front of her. Temari stopped moving, she didn't even appear to be breathing. She was unnervingly still as her chakra flickered and faded. Darui clenched his jaw as he waited obediently even though his every instinct was to retrieve the woman now.

oO0OooO0Oo

* * *

Shikamaru began walking up the stairs of the tower with his hands shoved into his pockets. He yawned and stretched as he neared the top of the stairs, but was already aware that he didn't sense any chakra in the room like he should. The genius suddenly remembered that Temari never came back like she had said she would. The Nara rushed up the last few steps and found the room empty. He immediately checked for signs of an attack or ambush as he tried to sense outside of the building. The doors burst open as Darui strode through with Temari cradled in one arm. The Kumogakure nin kicked the door shut forcefully behind him as he ripped his goggles and mask off.

"Does she try to kill herself often?" he asked as he took the mask and goggles off of the blonde, sand spilling onto the floor around her.

"Yeah," the Nara replied in a bored tone. "She calls it training though."

"Ah," the man grunted as he picked the woman back up and disappeared down the stairs.

"How troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru as he rubbed the back of his neck. _'Just when I thought I had made progress.'_

* * *

_**A/N I apologize that this is going to end up a 4 shot. I am not a good judge of how written pages transfer to type. The ending was very difficult for me to write and I still wonder if I should redo it, but I am going to post it the way it is first. It is heart-wrenching in my opinion, but definitely let me know what you think. I am working on getting the last chapter up as fast as possible, but thank you all for your patience. **_


	4. Chapter 4:Her Final Act

_**Temari's Tournament Part 4**_

_**The Final Act**_

Temari was unconscious for a matter of hours before she woke up and declared she would assume watch again. The fan wielder was in for quite the shock however. Shikamaru and Darui had talked at length while she was out and were actually ganging up on her. The two forced her to rest while they rotated through the rest of the watches. She grumbled about how much alike they were, but complied with their demands. The two men actually joked with one another since they were getting along so well. The sand storm passed through Suna quickly, only lasting a day and a half.

Temari canceled the rest of the dates for the week once she was finally free of the tower. Suna needed to be put back together after the sand storm had been her excuse. It was partially true, she had to oversee repairs, but she also wanted time alone. The day before the tournament arrived far too quickly for the kunoichi. Temari had scheduled meetings all day long to help her make a final decision. She met with the Raikage first and then Naruto. The wind mistress questioned them thoroughly about what would happen to her if she married into their respective villages. Would she still be allowed to carry out missions as a kunoichi? Would she be allowed to visit Suna? If so how often? Would her brothers be allowed to come visit her? What responsibilities would she have? Temari made it clear to both that if their villages ever came into conflict with Suna, as long as Gaara was still Kazekage, she and any children she had would leave. Ultimately she would be loyal to Gaara and Suna, no matter where she lived. The Raikage respected her brutal honesty while Naruto had already known Temari well enough to expect it.

Naruto was far easier to discuss things with. Temari could practically do anything she wanted if she came to Konoha. Shikamaru was to become Naruto's chief advisor when he assumed the role of Hokage, so being the Nara's wife didn't really dictate any additional responsibilities. It would be very similar to what she already did now in Suna. Naruto also told Temari that she could have dual citizenship and even residency so she could come and go as she pleased. Shikamaru would be expected to remain in Konoha since he would be vital to the Hokage, but Temari and any children they had could come and go as they wanted. Technically any children the couple had were supposed to strictly be considered citizens of Konoha, but Naruto was more than willing to work something out with Gaara for Temari's children to have dual Suna/Konoha citizenship.

The Raikage was far more evasive and vague with his answers. He stated that Temari's position as Darui's wife would have extensive responsibilities due to the new position the lightning and water wielder was taking. The wind mistress would not be able to come and go to Suna as she pleased since she would require security, so he stated those trips would probably be limited to four times a year but ultimately it would be Darui's decision. When Temari pressed for information on her suitor's new position the Raikage stated plainly that Darui had requested that she not know about it until after she had made her decision. Temari had grumbled that it was difficult to make a decision without having all of the pertinent information, but the Raikage wouldn't give her anything more. The Kumogakure kage respected Temari's bluntness about her loyalty to Suna but was adamant that any children she and Darui would have were citizens of Kumogakure alone. He did not foresee any reason that Suna and Kumo would end up enemies as long as Darui were to marry Temari. The large muscular kage implied that Temari's marriage would be a large enough deterrent. The blonde kunoichi didn't completely understand, but deduced that Darui's new position was of enough significance to have that kind of pull.

The kunoichi met with the Sunan council next to discuss which of the likely finalists would be ideal and share some of the information she had gathered from the current Raikage and future Hokage. There was heated debate but the final vote of the nine member council was four to four with Temari abstaining. Kankuro had voted for Darui, while Gaara had supported Shikamaru. The blonde kunoichi honestly had not been as interested in how the council voted, but had been hoping that her brothers both favored the same person. She was not going to have the luxury of receiving a clear sign concerning which of the two men to choose.

"Who will you chose?" one of the elder councilmen pressed as Temari stared at the table with a blank expression on her face. She was calculating, looking at all of the possible outcomes and repercussions.

"Temari, who do you want to win? You need to select your champion!" barked a council woman.

The blonde kunoichi's head snapped up as she glared at the woman. She stood while she slammed her hands down on the council table. "I don't know," she snarled. "If you make me select a champion this instant I will choose neither and destroy the victor. Am I clear?" she growled. The table erupted into arguments all at once until the Kazekage cleared his throat. The council members shrank back from the table as Gaara raised his hand for silence. Several members looked displeased they were not allowed the chance for rebuttal, but obeyed their Kazekage.

"Temari shall have two champions for now, Darui and Shikamaru." he said in a tone of finality. "They will be placed in opposite brackets of the tournament since they are the strongest and most skilled of the competitors. This will leave the crowds pleased as well since the final match will be the best. If Shikamaru and Darui face off early in the tournament, wouldn't all the rest of the matches after that pale in comparison?" the red head asked as he looked around the council table. Several members of the council nodded their heads in agreement. "The final match between Shikamaru and Darui won't be until the next day, which gives her more time to decide between the two," he explained calmly. "You are all dismissed," he said softly in his trademark monotone voice. "Kankuro and Temari remain please," the red head added as he glanced at Temari. The council members filed out of the room slowly, Temari glaring at the council woman that had been pressuring her. Gaara let out a long sigh as he folded his hands in front of himself and rested his chin on them. Once the room was empty except for the sand siblings he looked at his sister, studying her for a few moments.

"Oneesan, the decision is yours as it should be. If you don't want either man, Kankuro and I will be happy to defeat the victor. That is if the victor even makes it past you," he smirked at the fierce kunoichi before resuming his serious expression. "The question I have for you is, who do you love?"

"You and Kankuro," Temari answered quickly without thought.

"Sis, that's not what he meant," Kankuro softly teased realizing how upset this whole situation was making her.

The fan wielder pressed her hands to her temples as she began to speak softly. "I don't know if I can ever let myself love anyone else," she said as she lowered her eyes. "We all know where love left mom. I don't want to allow myself to ever end up in that position," she ended in almost a whisper.

"You aren't mom, Sis," Kankuro reassured from where he sat beside her. "Neither one of these guys are anything like dad either," he said trying to set her mind at ease.

"Dad wasn't that way in the beginning," the blonde said with pain in her voice. "He was a great man at first, but time and power changed him," she spoke softly with sadness. Temari sat back down at the council table and hugged her arms around her body. "Would I be strong enough to leave a man I had fallen in love with if he changes like that? Mom couldn't leave because of us," the blonde said as she looked up at Kankuro. "She wouldn't leave without us. She knew if the wife of the Kazekage fled the village with his two young children that she would be hunted down and killed quickly. So she stayed, for our sake." The blonde looked sorrowfully at her youngest brother, "Then you ultimately suffered the most for that decision. I can't make those kind of mistakes. I can't let myself fall in love," she murmured as she looked down at the table again.

"Then stay here and don't get married," shrugged Kankuro as if the answer was simple.

Gaara shook his head no as he stood and walked over to where his sister sat. He placed his hand on Temari's shoulder as he spoke softly, "Do you remember what Naruto said to change me?"

Temari shook her head yes slowly, realizing where this was going.

"Our bonds make us stronger, Temari. The connections we have with friends, family, and even lovers make us that much more powerful," the red head explained. "Decide who you can love," the Kazekage ordered quietly.

"We will be here for you no matter what," Kankuro added as he playfully punched Temari's arm. "If you and your kids need to be forcefully taken from a village in the future, you know we'll be more than happy to come rescue you."

"Thanks," Temari snorted as she rolled her eyes. She looked between her brothers and genuinely smiled softly, "Seriously though, thank you both."

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

The first day of the tournament arrived with all the fanfare one would expect. There was a parade and ceremony prior to the matches. Temari had to select her champion as part of the ceremony but called on the two men, which caused the crowd to roar in approval. Temari approached Shikamaru first as she recited her required lines. She felt an unexplainable spark, some strange feeling, as she locked eyes with the shadow user. The wind mistress went to tie a red satin ribbon around the Nara's right wrist and become frustrated that her hands were visibly shaking. It was slight enough that no one other than she and Shikamaru could see it, but she lowered her eyes trying to concentrate on the simple task. The genius reached across with his free hand and grasped her right hand as he leaned to speak in her ear.

"Troublesome woman, do you need me to show you how to tie a knot?" he whispered, his breath tickling her as he spoke which caused her to chuckle.

"I think I can manage," Temari quipped back as she smirked at the shadow user. She raised his right hand into the air showing all the red ribbon as the crowd cheered. "I can't save you today, so you better have your act together, crybaby," she teased under her breath. He groaned and rolled his eyes in response. The blonde lowered his hand and turned him to face her. "Good luck," she said softly as she kissed him gently on the cheek.

Suna's princess turned to her other champion as she began to walk towards him slowly. Darui gave her a lazy smile as her blue green eyes met his. The blonde felt a bolt of the electricity between them like she had felt on the night that the two sat on top of the watchtower. It was different than how she felt looking at Shikamaru, but it was just as strong. She began reciting her lines again and placed her hand initially on the dark skinned shinobi's shoulder. The blonde then slid it down his arm to rest at his wrist while bringing the red ribbon forth with her other hand. She partially did this to hide the fact that she was still shaking, but it was pleasant to feel his skin beneath her fingers. There was something about his muscular bare arms with tattoos that she found incredibly attractive. She was concentrating on tying the ribbon around his right wrist when she felt his left hand moving her hair away from her face. She looked up from her work and gave him a small smile as he watched her intently. Temari raised his hand to present him to the crowd as they yelled their approval. The wind mistress turned him to face her and was reminded of how he towered over her. Without realizing it she frowned which caused the tall shinobi to chuckle at her.

"May I help you?" he asked quietly. Temari nodded her head yes as she smiled softly at him again. The strong young man initially placed his hands on her waist as he lifted her up, but ended up wrapping his arms around her to lift her up like one would a child. The blonde kunoichi instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as she laughed then moved herself to one side to kiss his cheek as she rested her hand on his face. "Don't kill anyone," she whispered. "It's a lot of paperwork."

"I'll try to remember that," he whispered back as he moved her so they were face to face again. Darui loved the way that the kunoichi felt in his arms. It felt so natural as if it was simply the way things were meant to be. He reluctantly put her back down on the ground gently. Temari turned and walked back to stand in between her two brothers who stood watching both men menacingly.

"Let the tournament begin!" Temari announced to thunderous applause.

The blonde kunoichi and her two brothers proceeded to a balcony that hung out partially over the battle arena. The two suitors approached one another and shook hands to another round of cheers from the onlookers. The duo bowed to the sand siblings, bowed to the crowds, then took their leave. Shikamaru and Darui slowly walked to the area for the contestants to wait, talking to each other along the way. Temari couldn't help but wonder what the two were talking about as she was directed to sit down by one of the attendants. The three ornate thrones that had been at the ball were placed on the balcony for them to sit in and watch the tournament. The fan wielder thought it was overkill, but had to admit that the arrangements were incredibly comfortable. The attendant brought her drinks and food as she settled in for the long day.

Shikamaru and Darui fought their respective battles throughout the day flawlessly. They each used quick decisive moves to finish off their opponents while conserving as much energy as possible. Temari watched each battle carefully, noting every little gesture and movement her champions made. The final match would be tomorrow and the winner would face her a few hours after the conclusion of that match. If the victor made it past her, his battle against Gaara and Kankuro would be the day after that.

The kunoichi thought about her future in great detail. She pondered every aspect of each of her three options. She could choose neither suitor and remain in Suna, marry Shikamaru, or marry Darui. The mistress of the wind had known she would ultimately have to make this decision and tried to be as informed as possible before making her selection. She was methodical in thinking out each detail as she watched the matches drag on through the day. The only ones worth watching were when Shikamaru or Darui fought. Chojuro fighting Darui was interesting. The shy swordsman of the mist actually managed to drag things out for their match for a bit. The two swordsmen attacked and countered one another for a good forty five minutes before Darui finally caved and used his black lightning technique. C against Shikamaru was disappointingly short; Temari had expected more from the Raikage's bodyguard. She did remind herself that Shikamaru's team mate was a sensor nin as well, so he was probably all too familiar with the exploitable weaknesses of such jutsu.

The kunoichi let out a slow breath trying to calm herself as the last match of the day was being fought. The two finalists would be Shikamaru and Darui as everyone had expected. She had made her decision, but now she had to execute it. The blonde kept reminding herself to breathe since it felt like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. Temari recognized all the signs of anxiety, but had never really experienced it to this degree before. The fan wielder stood as Shikamaru was finishing up the final match of the day. "May I be excused?" she asked Gaara softly trying to hide the panic in her voice.

The red head looked up at his sister from where he sat with a questioning look on his face, but nodded that she may leave.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

"You will still need to defeat me in battle tomorrow," Temari explained as she held Shikamaru tightly. The couple sat on the bed of Shikamaru's room in the Kazekage's mansion, Temari's arms around the Nara as if he were a child in need of comfort. "That is the final condition. I won't let you win, you need to really defeat me," she said softly as she put a finger under his chin to force him to look into her eyes. The shadow user's eyes were brimming with tears. Shikamaru had been fighting them, but as he looked at her face he couldn't hold them back any longer.

"I don't know if I can do this, Temari," he whispered as the tears began streaming down his face. "Is there any other way, anything else? Please?"

"No," she said quietly as she pulled his head to her chest not wanting to look at the pain in his eyes. If she looked at how much this was hurting him, she would lose her resolve. "You can do this, think of this as shogi. You have to be willing to make a necessary sacrifice to ultimately win."

"How do I know you won't change your mind?" he softly sobbed into her chest.

"You will be my last," she answered with certainty as he looked up at her again. "I swear on my love for Suna and my brothers. You know that nothing is more precious to me than them."

"You are far more troublesome than I could have ever imagined," the Nara grumbled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. She could see his mind was going through all of the information, processing it. The genius was trying to find some way to reconcile the data. He looked at her with a sad resolve and determination as he brought a finger to her chin. "I love you anyways," he murmured as he brought her lips to meet his. The two kissed and wrapped their arms around one another as if they were clinging to their very lives.

"I swear that I will learn to love you in return the way that you deserve," the blonde kunoichi murmured as she stroked his hair gently while still wrapped in his arms. "I do care about you. I care about you more than anyone else other than my brothers. I know it doesn't seem that way right now," she sighed as she searched for some way to explain things.

"Don't, just don't say anything else please," the Nara whimpered. "Tomorrow then?" he asked trying not to look at her.

"Tomorrow," Temari answered quietly. The mistress of the wind stood to leave. She didn't have any words to say that would make this any easier, so she didn't try. She left him sitting there on the edge of the bed, not looking back as she closed the door behind her.

The genius brought his hands to his face as he sobbed. He didn't regret his choice, but wished there was some other way.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

* * *

There was a soft knock on the door of Darui's room. It was late and he couldn't sense who his visitor was, but a gut feeling told him to answer. A figure stood before him shrouded in a black hooded cloak. Their face was masked in shadow, but he didn't feel as if the stranger posed any danger.

"Quick, let me in," the figure whispered.

The dark skinned man immediately stepped out of the way allowing the shadowy guest entry. He closed the door softly as he looked at his visitor with bored interest in his eyes. A pair of small feminine hands slid out of the sleeves of the cloak to pull back the hood. The wild blonde hair that spilled out confirmed that it was Temari.

"Darui," she breathed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to sit on the edge of his bed beside her. "Please listen to everything I have to say," the kunoichi begged. The young man nodded his head in agreement. "I am not going to give you excuses or half-hearted reasons," the wind mistress began as she looked into his gorgeous eyes. "I will be selecting Shikamaru as my champion tomorrow and will marry him if he wins the tournament."

The shinobi from Kumogakure felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. Darui wanted to tell her that he was going to be named the next Raikage two months from now. He wanted to tell her that he would give her anything she wanted. He wanted to say that he would make her the happiest woman in the world, but he said nothing. He would let her say her piece, he would obey her wishes.

"I can't justify it, I can't explain it, and I wouldn't expect you to understand," she continued as she looked at his hand held between the two of hers. "In a perfect world I could marry you both and live in Suna," she chuckled to herself before she looked back up at him. "That's not the case though. I can only choose one of you to spend the rest of my life with." The blonde's blue-green eyes were apologetic as they gazed at the white haired nin.

"Is there anything I could have done differently or could do now to change your mind?" Darui asked quietly as he brought his other hand to lightly caress the kunoichi's cheek.

"No," the fan wielder said sadly. "You have been more than perfect actually. You would have had to come into my life six years earlier to change this," she smiled softly as she brought one of her hands to rest on top of his on her cheek. "I care about him. I know everything about him. I know his family and friends. I consider Konoha my second home," she tried to explain quietly but her voice wavered and stopped as if she couldn't continue.

"If Shikamaru is who you want, I will forfeit to him tomorrow," the lightning wielding shinobi said with disappointment. "If he doesn't make you happy though, I will. I would have done anything to keep you happy."

"I know," Temari said with pain in her eyes. "I know you would have, which is why there is something else I need to ask."

"Anything," he said with apprehension, not sure he wanted to hear more.

"I want something to remember you by, a memory I can look fondly back on. If you don't want to remember me, I understand, but I, I," the kunoichi struggled to put her thoughts into words. "I am giving Shikamaru the rest of my life, but I want to give you my first night," she finally said with conviction. The confusion and panic in Darui's eyes was immediate.

"No," he immediately answered as he pulled his hand from her face.

"Shikamaru knows," she said softly. "I gave him the option. He could have my first night or the rest of my life, but he couldn't have both. He wanted me for his wife," she explained quietly. The white haired shinobi just stared at her in disbelief. "If I had given you the option, which one would you have chosen?" the kunoichi asked softly.

The Kumogakure nin hung his head as he admitted reluctantly, "I would have made the same decision."

Temari smiled softly as she nodded her head in understanding. "I'm sorry all I can give you is one night," the blonde said softly, "but we can make it a night we will both remember."

"It's not right, it isn't fair to Shikamaru," Darui argued as he looked away.

"Life isn't fair. He will accept this, he doesn't have a choice," the woman answered as she placed her hands on each side of Darui's face, forcing him to look at her. "If he doesn't accept it, if he decides he doesn't want me anymore, wouldn't that only benefit you?" The blonde said everything so calmly, as if she had gone over everything in her head a million times and come to the same conclusion.

Temari rose up and stood before where the tall young man sat as she undid the clasp of her cloak. The garment slid down her shoulders then slowly to the floor to reveal that she wore nothing underneath. "Please," she whispered as she brought her lips to his.

Darui's head told him that this was wrong, but his heart agreed with Temari. He couldn't have her forever, but he could at least have one glorious night. Deep down he hoped it would somehow change her mind. He wrapped his arms around the kunoichi as he began to kiss her back. Consequences be damned, Temari would stay the night with him and break his heart more than he thought possible.

oO0OooO0OooO0Oo

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Shikamaru stood across from Darui in the arena, Baki just slightly to the side between the two men. The fury was evident in the shadow user's eyes. The shinobi from Kumogakure simply stood there with his hands in his pockets and his usual bored expression. The indifferent look that the sword wielding shinobi wore was not really different than the one that Shikamaru normally had on his own face. The shadow user finally realized how infuriating someone's indifference could be. He knew by acting bored he could irritate people easily, but had never been on the receiving end of such treatment. Baki was explaining the rules for the match when Darui interrupted.

"This is all rather dull. I forfeit," he shrugged as he turned to walk away. The Raikage stared in disbelief from where he watched in the crowd.

"You will fight me," Shikamaru warned in a dangerous yet quiet voice.

The dark skinned nin turned halfway around to look at Shikamaru in annoyance. "She chooses you, you have already won," he shrugged. The Kumogakure shinobi took a few steps back closer as he lowered his voice to a menacing tone as he added, "Just know that if you hurt her, I will come back and take her from you. I will do it by force if necessary." He stated everything as if it were a simple fact not worthy of debate. He turned to walk away again but heard Baki yelling as he saw Shikamaru weaving hand signs out of his peripheral vision.

"Shikamaru Nara, I will disqualify you if you attack a man that has just forfeited," the Sunan shinobi cautioned.

"Kage mane no jutsu," Shikamaru hissed as his shadow stretched forth and captured both Baki and Darui.

Darui made no attempt to break the jutsu since he could see Temari already moving. She had leapt from the balcony into the arena, rolling as she hit the ground. The mistress of the wind ran towards the three with speed Darui had not seen from her before as she pulled her fan from her back. The black lightning wielder noted that the kunoichi's chakra levels spiked like they had during the sand storm.

"Shadow neck bind technique," the Nara growled as he weaved more hand signs. The tendrils from his shadows slowly reached for Darui's throat. Temari slammed her fan open to all three stars as she slid in between Shikamaru and Darui. She swung her fan sending a blast of cutting winds at Shikamaru from dangerously short range. He had no choice but to release his techniques to dodge.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Temari yelled at the top of her lungs. "I am your opponent now!" The Sunan woman's declaration caused the crowd to rise to their feet and roar. They were confused and had wanted a match between the two men, but Darui surprised them all by withdrawing. Temari had selected Shikamaru as her champion but was now protecting Darui as if she actually wanted him instead. The Raikage was particularly dumbfounded as to what the hell was going on. He was certain there was much more going on that he didn't know about, but would find out all the details on the way back to the Land of Lightning.

The blonde kunoichi's fan shielded the former first division commander, a man that certainly did not need protection, as Shikamaru assumed a fighting stance. Baki knew it was time to get as far clear as possible and motioned for the Kumogakure nin to do the same. The genius' eyes held a controlled rage now, regaining his senses and reason. Shikamaru was calculating now; he was anticipating every move Temari would make in the battle and coming up with the counters. Temari swung her fan quickly in a series of upward and sideways motions as she jumped back away from the shadow user. "Wind element net cast," she mumbled under her breath. It was one of her jutsus that the Nara had not seen or knew how to counter yet. She had brought herself in range of his shadow possession jutsu to force him to release Darui, but now she needed to get back to a safe distance quickly. The genius drew out the chakra blades he had inherited from Asuma and sliced through the net as if it were a minor obstacle as he ran towards his opponent. He was trying to close the distance quickly, so he could utilize his shadows.

Temari narrowed her eyes as she glared at the genius. He had sliced through her net with wind chakra of his own, when did he master that? More importantly when did he discover he had an affinity for wind? The kunoichi inwardly cursed as she assessed everything around her taking into account her new information. Darui and Baki had retreated out of the arena quickly, which relieved Temari. The genius used her momentary glance to the right to throw one of his chakra blades at her own shadow. Temari knew all too well that he was using his shuriken shadow imitation technique.

"I finally get the lazy ass to really fight me," she smiled to herself as she swung her fan. "Dance of the Earth!" The winds picked up sand and stones as they deflected the incoming chakra blade. The cutting winds roared towards Shikamaru, but with Temari now able to control and direct them it was more difficult for him to dodge her attacks. He quickly calculated the speed and size of the cutting winds as he weaved more hand signs. The Nara's shadow burst forth from the ground hurtling the genius over the attack while still closing the distance between he and Temari. "Dance of the Dragon!" she yelled swinging her fan. She used the momentum from the completion of her swing to somersault her three times away from the charging shadow user. Shikamaru had seen her use this attack before and immediately retreated back quickly out of range of the powerful tornado that now stood in between them. The blonde began to run while calculating the sun's path across the sky and what shadows it would create depending on how long this match would last. She also started thinking about how each movement she made affected the size and shape of her own shadow, not wanting to be caught off guard again. She had five more seconds before Shikamaru would be able to get around her huge tornado of wind that stood between them rotating wildly. The blonde kunoichi began weaving hand signs. This jutsu would begin just before the tornado died.

Shikamaru retrieved his thrown chakra blade as he tried to see through the tornado. He sensed Temari's chakra spike again as he heard a different roar of wind unlike that of the tornado. "Dance of the Desert of Death!" Temari bellowed as her new jutsu ripped through the dying tornado. Shikamaru quickly weaved hand signs as he made himself as small as possible, his shadows forming a protective barrier around him like Gaara's sand does. The genius was still thrown across the arena into a wall, cracking the concrete and leaving a distinct imprint. He had protected his head, but his back groaned and creaked from the impact as he tried to stand back up quickly. If he had not summoned the shadows to protect himself he would definitely have been knocked unconscious.

"She's definitely not holding anything back," he smirked as he rubbed his aching neck. He looked across the arena to see the worried look in her eyes give way to relief when she watched him stand. Then the moments of concern were gone, replaced by her fierce demeanor. "Troublesome woman, so she does care," he mumbled to himself. Shikamaru purposely moved slower than he could to make it appear he was more injured than he really was. He mentally reminded himself to restrict his movements as well so she would think she had partially incapacitated him.

The battle raged on for an hour and a half with the crowd gasping one minute then cheering the next. Suna loved their princess and didn't really want to lose her, so the majority rooted for the kunoichi to win. Shikamaru and Temari escalated until they were fighting at full strength, using jutsus that they rarely utilized. Temari was at a slight disadvantage since she couldn't summon Kamatari due to the risk of injuring the spectators. The genius knew that and thanked Kami that they were fighting in an arena. Arena fighting wasn't really conducive to the kunoichi's destructive jutsus; she had to spend more chakra to precisely control her winds rather than letting them fly wildly. The shadow user had noticed that Gaara and Kankuro were now standing on the balcony watching his movements carefully. The two shinobi were scowling and had their arms crossed as they watched their sister battle the brilliant tactician from Konoha. Temari was actually still faring better than Shikamaru at this point. The genius had taken the most damage since she was making sure not to get within range of his shadows. He had managed to plant wires with explosive tags that wrapped around her when she later ran through the trap, but that was the most damage he had been able to inflict on her. Shikamaru had hoped that he would be able to get within range while the blonde tried to recover from the blast, but she was too quick. Temari on the other hand had landed several devastating jutsus on the ponytailed Nara. He definitely had internal bleeding and a couple broken ribs. Shikamaru had to find some way to end this quickly.

Temari stood on the other side of the arena panting as she used her iron fan to brace her body. She wasn't hurt too badly, but was suffering the most from exhaustion and chakra depletion. The wind mistress was watching Shikamaru warily as she caught sight of a messenger hawk flying across the sky. The blonde noted it and found it odd, but didn't think anything about it. She unfortunately hadn't been paying enough attention to the Nara since he had been weaving hand signs and touched the ground as the hawk flew over the arena. The blonde kunoichi's eyes widened as she felt an all too familiar sensation. Her body no longer obeyed her will. "Not again," she groaned. He had finally outsmarted and blindsided the kunoichi again just like he had all those years earlier in the Chunin exams.

Shikamaru smirked as he walked his adversary to the middle of the arena. Temari's eyes held a mixture of emotions, but overall it appeared that she was proud of him. This surprised the Nara and he couldn't help but wonder about it. The two stood in silence staring at one another for a few moments before Shikamaru finally spoke. "Do you surrender?" the dark haired genius asked quietly as his shadows held her before him.

"I do," the wind mistress answered softly. "Completely."

"You will be mine and only mine from today forward," Shikamaru declared quietly to her as he released the jutsu and grabbed her. He wrapped his arms around her as he aggressively kissed her as if he felt the need to claim her. Temari complied willingly, slowly winding her arms around him as she kissed him back. She understood that tonight he would do everything in his power to make her forget the man who had had her first. Temari also knew that Shikamaru would now work hard the rest of their lives to make sure she never wondered about what could have been with Darui.

The two didn't notice the thunder of their audience as they continued to kiss. The cheers from the spectators around them became absolutely deafening. The couple embraced one another tightly after their passionate moment that had just happened in front of hundreds of people.

"Thank you for finally giving me my rematch," the blonde kunoichi murmured softly in his ear.

There was the sound of someone coughing softly behind the couple which caused them to turn quickly and face the source. Gaara and Kankuro had come down to the arena on a wave of sand and stood waiting patiently. The black clad puppeteer appeared slightly annoyed while the Kazekage wore a pleased look upon his face.

"Temari, what is your decision?" Gaara asked in his usual monotone voice.

"I willingly agree to marry Shikamaru Nara," the blonde said quietly to her brothers.

Kankuro and Gaara shared a look before the puppeteer motioned for the red head to go ahead. Gaara nodded his head, "Very well then." The Kazekage waved his hands causing his sand to carry him up over the arena so all could see him clearly. "There will not be a battle tomorrow since Temari accepts Shikamaru Nara's proposal. Kankuro and I forfeit and accept him into our family with open arms!" the red head announced in a clear voice. "There will be a celebration and feast for the entire day instead!" The crowd cheered its approval. The citizens of Suna would take free food over watching fighting any day. The Kazekage knew his people well.

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Two nights later after all of the celebrations were winding down the Raikage and his entourage were at the gates of Suna preparing to leave under the cover of night. There was the usual banter amongst the group, but Darui wasn't participating. He had not attended any of the celebrations of Temari's engagement. The lightning wielder was silently standing off to the side alone looking out over the desert. C walked away from the crowd of Kumogakure shinobi towards his long time partner.

"Are you going to be OK?" C asked quietly making sure that no one else could hear.

The tall dark skinned man shrugged as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I have no choice but to be," he stated flatly as he still looked longingly out over the desert.

C weaved several hand seals quickly and scanned the area. He looked at his friend as he comprehended what was bothering him. "She's here."

"I know," Darui sighed. The pain in his eyes was immense. C could tell that Darui wanted to go to her, but he refused. If she had wanted to say goodbye she would come out and do so.

"C, Darui!" the Raikage barked, "It's time to go."

"Yes, boss," the sword wielder answered as he motioned for C to come with him. "Where is she at?" Darui whispered to his friend as they walked back to their kage.

"She has herself concealed over there at 3 o'clock," the sensor answered as he nodded his head towards the well hidden kunoichi.

Darui looked in the direction and saw nothing but shadows. '_How appropriate_,' he thought as he walked away. The man followed his Raikage towards their home in the Land of Lightning with his hands in his pockets.

-End

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A/N

That is it everyone! Once I finish Shinobi and Sonnets I may write a sequel to this if anyone is interested. (Shinobi and Sonnets is a lot closer to being done than Love at War)

Here is the quote that inspired me to write this story:

_**"Being a man, I may fall passionately in love with a woman someday, but I positively assert that if I had to get involved in a rivalry as intense as the love itself in order to win the object of love, I would sooner give her up by standing aloof with my hands in my pockets, no matter what pain or sacrifice I might have to endure. Others may criticize me as unmanly, cowardly, weak-willed, or whatever. But if the woman is one so wavering between her suitors that she can only be won through that kind of painful competition, I can't regard her as worth the bitter rivalry. It's far more satisfying to my conscience to have the manliness to allow my rival free play in the field of love and for me to gaze in loneliness at the scars of love than to have the pleasure of embracing by force a woman who would not willingly give me her heart."  
― Natsume Sōseki**_

I thought this fit Shikamaru perfectly, but didn't want to write a story where Shikamaru and Temari wouldn't end up together. It was difficult finding someone else I thought Temari might actually consider at first until I remembered Darui. Darui's character slouches around with his hands in his pockets like Shikamaru, wears a bored expression like Shikamaru, has a catchphrase like Shikamaru (Shika-How Troublesome, Darui-How dull), and rubs the back of his neck like Shikamaru. Even though Darui is more motivated than Shika and actually apologetic rather than complaining constantly, I thought he was a pretty close match.

This didn't end up a happy ending by any means, but think along the lines of Bram Stoker's Dracula. That was the type of tragic love triangle I was trying to portray. What caused Temari to do things the way she did is up to you to decide. I know what I intended, but sometimes it is more fun to let the readers' imaginations fill in between the lines.

Thank you all for your reviews and patience! I hope I didn't break Kimiz' heart too much.


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